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The other day I had two things: a lot of good fresh vegetables and a little extra time. So why not roast up those vegetables! I started peeling, chopping and layering. This was going to be a big honking batch of veggies! Mushrooms, bell peppers, squash, onions…Yum!

A big batch it was. My largest kitchen bowl was full of colorful vegetables. What next? I dusted the vegetables with salt and pepper. I sprinkled basil and parsley on the vegetables as well.

Olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar completed the prep work. After a good healthy stir, I poured them onto a lined baking dish and placed them in a preheated 400 degree oven. Almost immediately, warm succulent aromas began to fill the air. My mouth began to water with those decadent scents wafting from the oven.

I checked the vegetables after 15 minutes in the oven and couldn’t resist sneaking a taste. What a delicious bite! Back into the oven for a few minutes, and then they were ready. The roasted veggies were delicious that night for dinner with lovely grilled salmon.

Did I mention that it was a big ol’ batch of roasted veggies? And that I love leftovers? Did we ever have leftovers! And like spaghetti, the vegetables were better the next day. How did they get used up?

Leftovers day one: Roasted veggies made an amazing addition to an omelet the next morning.

Leftovers day two: I cooked quinoa to mix into the vegetables. That created a protein and nutrient dense powerhouse that were perfect after a workout.

Leftovers day three: Roasted veggies piled on a turkey sandwich. Who needs mayo?

And that is what you do with leftovers my friends. When you have a bit of extra time, cook big. Then enjoy good food and time savings later! Let me know what you do with your leftovers!

The other day I had two things: a lot of good fresh fall vegetables and a little extra time. So I went to my happy place…the kitchen. I decided to roast the vegetables. I started peeling, chopping and layering. This was going to be a big honking batch of veggies! Mushrooms, bell peppers, butternut squash, onions, celery…Yum!

A big batch it was. After they were chopped, I dusted the vegetables with salt, pepper, basil, and parsley then sprinkled olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar on them as well. After a good healthy stir, I poured them onto a lined baking dish and placed them in a preheated 400 degree oven. Almost immediately, warm succulent aromas began to fill the house. My mouth began to water with those decadent scents wafting though the air.

I checked the vegetables after 15 minutes in the oven and couldn’t resist sneaking a taste. Ooh! What a delicious bite! Back into the oven for a few minutes, and then they were ready. We enjoyed the roasted veggies with lovely grilled salmon.

Did I mention that it was a big ol’ batch of fall veggies? And that I love leftovers? Did we ever have leftovers! But that’s okay. They were fantastic to have around. And like spaghetti, the vegetables were more flavorful as leftovers.

Leftovers day one: Roasted veggies made an amazing addition to an omelet the next morning.

Leftovers day two: I cooked quinoa to mix into the vegetables. That created a powerhouse side dish of veggies and quinoa.

Leftovers day three: Roasted veggies piled on a turkey sandwich. Who needs mayo??

And that is what you do with leftovers my friends. I used a little extra time to cook big, and had nutritious leftovers to launch other dishes.

With a humble and grateful heart, I am returning from time at a beautiful mountain home of friends. There were 22 of us staying together, and it was a lovely harmonious bunch. The house was bursting with adults trying to hold down the fort and kids from 8-21 years of age being, as they should, kids. There were a lot of personalities present, all meshing beautifully.

Meals were certainly an event. 4 tables fit all of us in one room, so we ate together. The cacophony of spirited meal conversations happily resonated throughout the house. With such an array of food and folks, there was no avoiding some “foodie” talk. This is a topic I dearly love!

We talked about food, budgets, meals, food allergies, and, with a busy family, the challenges of putting together a nutritious and cohesive meal. Varied information and opinions gently led these conversations. Low and behold, lingering at the table over some hot cider after dinner one evening, talk turned to what to do with the leftovers. Anyone who know me know that I am a big fan of leftovers. They are a great “second act” if you will.

Leftover spinach kale artichoke cheese dip! Yummier the second day!

Some of the folks had assembled an amazing appetizer. It was a hot dip including cream cheese, garlic, mozzarella cheese, artichoke hearts, spinach and kale. It was fantastic to munch on with chips and veggies as we made dinner. It was a pretty big batch, so there was some left over. We also had some cauliflower left, albeit not much. These were the leftovers that got our creative juices flowing.

leftover cauliflower-so inspiring!

Both would have made a fabulous omelet the next morning. The minds and culinary talent present would not be wasted with just one option though. We forged ahead thinking of more creations with dip and cauliflower. I credit Robin, one of the sisters (sibling, not nun!!) there with a brilliant thought. Pizza. It sounded amazing, but executing this wasn’t clear. So when I got home, I researched.

What I found with my digging is that you can made a pizza crust with cauliflower. It needs to be put into a food processor or blender and pulsed to powder form. About a head of cauliflower will make about 3 cups of cauliflower powder, which is enough for one pizza. The leftover dip would have been dynamite as the topping! Voila! A really cool way to use these leftovers!

I have not tried this yet, but am gearing up to give it a whirl. See? You can take leftovers from anywhere and move way beyond just heating them up for another meal. Make something new. Let the creative spirit take you in a new exciting direction! I will keep you posted on this latest culinary adventure and you let me know where your leftovers take you!

I love breakfast. But only after coffee. And an hour or two awake. I am not a morning person, so more accurately I can say that I love breakfast, but for brunch. On the weekend I love sleeping in a bit, getting out of bed slowly, and reading the paper with a cup of coffee. Next, I like to have a nice nutritious breakfast. But an easy one.

One weekend morning, I decided to have some eggs. I had taken a long run the day before and felt like I needed some protein. Some vegetables. Something substantial. But I did not feel like standing at the stove for a long time, and omelets just aren’t my thing. A frittata was the perfect breakfast for this particular morning.

A frittata is an italian creation. It is like an omelet but it is baked. You begin with an egg mixture, then toss in whatever you like or whatever you have on hand. It is delicious, can be low in fat, and packed with nutrition. It can feed several people too, making it very budget friendly. Bonus! Let me share my recipe with you.

I began by pulling 6 eggs out of the fridge. Eggs, in many recipes, are better at room temperature, so I set them on the counter for a few minutes. Then I started to look at what to add to my frittata. I found some yummy ingredients and a left over to use. I found a jar of roasted red peppers and leftover grilled ham steak. I also had a small wedge of fresh parmesan and some frozen spinach. That was enough to get rolling.

The start of a brilliant frittata!

I started by scrambling 2 whole eggs and 4 egg whites. Yolks are where the fat and cholesterol are found in an egg, so use whole eggs sparingly. I like using more egg whites, where the protein is, than whole eggs. I whipped them up into a froth, then added 1 cup of skim milk. I also added some black pepper.

I set that aside for a minute and chopped up the red peppers and my leftover ham steak. I defrosted the frozen spinach and squeezed it dry. Next, I got a large skillet that is oven safe out of the cabinet, because this dish starts on the stove top and then goes into the oven. I sprayed the skillet with nonstick vegetable spray. I sautéed the spinach, red peppers, and ham steak over a medium high heat. I added some more fresh ground black pepper and a tiny sprinkle of salt. I also added some red pepper flakes, a favorite seasoning of mine to use with anything containing spinach.

After a few minutes, I gave the veggie ham mixture a final stir. Next, I poured the frothy eggs on top. No more stirring! I turned the heat under the skillet to medium and stepped away from the stove for a few moments.

Pour the eggs!

After the eggs started to set, which took about 4-5 minutes, I tossed the frittata into a

My frittata was puffing!

400 degree oven for 15 minutes. I sat and enjoyed a rare second cup of coffee, and took another look at the paper. But after about 10 minutes, the scent wafting from the oven was too much for me to handle. I had to go to the oven and take a peek. That frittata was puffing up and turning the most beautiful golden color. Yum! My mouth was watering and I was ready to dig in! But the frittata had a few more minutes to bake. So I closed the oven door and waited a few more minutes.

The frittata was worth that wait! I pulled it out of the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting it. I cut it into wedges like a pie and had a piece with some whole wheat toast. It was the perfect weekend breakfast. Next time, though, I might have it for dinner!

Aaahhh! The finished product! And yes, that is a delicious dollop of butter on the toast! Just enough to add flavor, but not enough to kick up my cholesterol!